


shovel

by helsinkibaby



Category: Diagnosis Murder
Genre: F/M, Fictober, Friends to Lovers, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27235207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Steve tells people about the change to his and Amanda’s relationship. He’s surprised by the reaction.
Relationships: Amanda Bentley/Steve Sloan
Kudos: 7





	shovel

**Author's Note:**

> For fictober day 6 “That was impressive”

Having been friends for years, both Steve and Amanda are aware that the change in their relationship status is going to take people by surprise. Knowing that, they take things slowly, fly under the radar for as long as they can. Dates are conducted quietly, occasionally over dinner, more often at Amanda’s house as her son sleeps upstairs, sometimes even when he’s there, the three of them curled up on the couch watching a movie or sitting around the dinner table together. Sometimes, Steve is playing with CJ, building masterpieces of construction or driving the little boy’s toy trucks or throwing him over his shoulder and tickling him and he’ll see Amanda looking at him with a soft smile on her face and a look in her eyes that makes him feel like a lovestruck teenager, not a forty something grown man who really should know better. 

They take it slow but when they decide that it’s time to let people know, Steve knows it’s up to him to do most of the talking. 

He tells Mark first, although Amanda argues that they should do that together. “I work with him,” she says, “and he’s CJ’s godfather…”

“He’s my dad, Amanda,” Steve counters. “It should come from me. Man to man and all that.” 

She rolls her eyes, muttering something about nonsense and when he’s standing in his dad’s kitchen, coffee in hand and his heart in his mouth, Steve is man enough to admit that she might be right. 

Too late now. 

“You and Amanda?” 

Mark blinks at him, his eyes, always so expressive, practically round with surprise. 

Steve nods, tightens his hand on his coffee mug, hopes it won’t crack. “We’ve had… feelings for each other for a while,” he says and he’s not lying, even though he really doesn’t want to be having this kind of conversation with his dad. It’s veering dangerously towards the birds and the bees conversation that they’d had when Steve was a teenager. Suddenly he’s glad Amanda isn’t there. “We never did anything about it… for a lot of reasons. But after recent events…” He remembers breaking down the door to the autopsy room, knowing Amanda was locked in there with a killer, remembers seeing her lying on the floor and thinking for a terrible moment that they were too late. He shudders and Mark sees it, his own jaw going tight. 

“Things like that do have a way of focussing the mind,” is all he says and Steve washes down the sudden lump in his throat with a swallow of coffee. 

After that, and a deep breath, he tries again. “We didn’t rush into this, Dad,” he says. “We’ve talked about it… and it’s what we both want.” 

Mark says nothing for a long moment, just stares at him. Eventually, he nods. “Well, that’s good.” It’s an odd thing to say and Steve tilts his head curiously. “Amanda’s been through a lot… not just lately. Everything with Colin…” He pauses, gives Steve a significant look and raises one eyebrow. “I wouldn’t like to see her hurt, is what I’m saying.” 

It takes a second for the words to sink in. When they do, Steve’s jaw drops. “You’re warning me not to break her heart?” 

Mark doesn’t blink. “Yes.” 

Steve shakes his head, rubs his hand over his lips, the words making sense to him. After all, Amanda’s like a daughter to his dad - and considering the relationship that actually exists between his dad and his sister, Steve’s pretty sure that the bond goes even deeper than that. “I can do that.” 

With his dad told, the next person he goes to see is Jesse. Again, Amanda suggested she should do it, but Steve had insisted, saying they were friends and business partners and that it would be better coming from him. 

His reaction is much the same as Steve’s dad’s but he seems to understand something very quickly. “You’re serious? The two of you?” Jesse’s shock is still evident by his wide eyes, by the tone of his voice and despite himself Steve finds himself bristling in response. 

“Yes.” The word is sharp, bitten off with no small amount of impatience. Steve feels only a little guilty when Jesse blinks, taken aback. “I’m serious about her. And I hope she’s serious about me.” He actually knows she is, they’ve had this conversation. More than once, in fact. Jesse still looks doubtful and Steve sighs, running a hand through his hair. “We’ve been friends for years, Jesse, you know that. She works with my dad, she works with you…” He didn’t need to remind Jesse of the fact that the two of them were business partners; where they were standing was reminder enough of that. “You really think either Amanda or myself would risk that for some roll in the hay?” 

Jesse frowns and Steve can almost see the wheels turning in his head. “I guess not,” he says eventually. “Though I am really impressed you just got to use the phrase ‘roll in the hay’ honestly and unironically. That was impressive.”

He’s grinning as he says the last and Steve finds himself chuckling too. “Well there’s a bright side to everything I guess.” 

Jesse jams his hands into his pockets, rocks backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet. “Look, if you two are happy, then I’m happy for you. But Amanda… she’s like my big sister, you know? I just don’t want to see her get hurt.” 

Once again, Steve chuckles, rubs his hand over his mouth. “You and my dad both,” he mutters. That surprises Jesse too, his mouth dropping open again. “Oh yeah… I’ve had the shovel talk already today.” 

Jesse recovers quickly. “Then I don’t have to do it again.” 

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Steve promises and Jesse nods before he moves away. 

“Good.” 

Steve shakes his head later that night as he recounts the two stories to Amanda. Standing in her kitchen, the two of them clearing up after dinner, CJ already asleep upstairs, her shoulders shake with laughter.

“I don’t know if I should be insulted that they think I’m going to break your heart or that they’re not more worried about mine.” It’s clear from his tone that he’s only teasing her, and it’s clear from her smile that she knows that. But there’s still a slight narrowing of the eyes, a tiny frown that tells him she doesn’t know quite what he’s getting at. “Let’s face it,” he continues, sliding his arms around her waist, letting them rest at the small of her back, “if there’s any heartbreak going to go on here, you’ll be the one doing it”

She’s still smiling but her frown deepens. “What are you talking about?” She sounds suddenly worried too, like she thinks he really believes this. 

“Amanda, you’re beautiful.” He kisses her cheek. “Intelligent.” Kisses her other cheek. “A doctor.” He kisses her lips, briefly, grins when she pouts as he draws away. “Trust me, as a lowly police detective, I know when I’m punching way above my weight.” 

The noise that she makes indicates her disagreement eloquently. “A very decorated, very handsome police detective,” she counters, sliding her hands up his back, letting them curve around his shoulders. She rises up a little too, presses a kiss where the underside of his jaw meets his earlobe. That simple motion sends shivers up and down Steve’s spine. “I think we should at least call it a draw.” 

She presses another kiss to that same spot and, yeah, that’s not getting old any time soon. “I’m not so sure,” he says but frankly, he has better things to do than to mull it over. Much better. 

Evidently she does too. “How about…” she says, letting her voice trail off as she brings herself up on her tiptoes to brush her lips across his, “We neither of us break the other’s heart?” She kisses him again then, longer, deeper, and that’s definitely something he can get behind. 

“Told you you were the smart one,” he murmurs a few minutes later against her neck. 

She laughs and then there’s no need to talk any more.


End file.
